North Korea demands the U.S., South Korea halt joint military drills

North Korea on Monday demanded that the United States and South Korea stop large-scale military exercises, calling them a provocation that may draw
“more powerful follow-up measures” from Pyongyang.
“The situation in the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity has entered the serious confrontation phase of power for power again due to the ceaseless and reckless military moves of the U.S. and south Korea,” North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried on the country’s official KCNA news agency.
The United States and South Korea began one of their largest combined military air drills on Monday, with hundreds of warplanes from both sides staging mock attacks 24 hours a day for the better part of a week.
The operation, called Vigilant Storm, will run until Friday, and will feature about 240 warplanes conducting about 1,600 sorties, the U.S. Air Force said.